'Power crisis a reality check'

By Liberty Dones
Reporter
Story from Saipan Tribune

If anything, the increased cost of electricity in the CNMI is making people aware of the need to conserve energy, according to participants of last Thursday's Marianas Roundtable - Focus on Energy conference.

“Our mentality has always been: We pay cheap power. Nobody cared about conserving. Now that the power rates went up, it's unbelievable. I got my bill. I talked to everybody about theirs and they don't understand how come it's that's high. I also try to figure it out myself. But I think it's a reality check. It's realizing, 'Oh, no, its true. How can I afford this?' Now, we have to conserve. We have to readjust our lifestyle,” said Saipan congressman Absalon Waki Jr.

He said the conference speakers' discussions were enlightening. “They [speakers] made good sense. Mr. Dareen Kimura definitely made good sense because this is something we need to understand. As I've said, nobody cared about conserving. Everybody got five to 10 air-conditioners in the house. None of them are efficient. Nobody takes care of the roofing; the house gets hot. That's why the aircon is blowing 24-hours a day. They are not doing anything to think about conservation and energy efficiency. How do we readjust it if we don't know how? So this is great to start with business and the government,” said Waki.

He said, though, that to get maximum benefits, more similar workshops or discussions should be done.

“It should be out there in the public as often as possible to help people know how they can conserve energy, how painting the roof white can cool your house, how checking your thermostat control is needed. Some homes are freezing at night but they don't adjust it so they can sleep without a blanket,” said the congressman.

Another lawmaker, Rep. Manuel Tenorio, said the Saipan Chamber of Commerce-sponsored conference is most timely.

“It's about time that we look at energy conservation, energy savings. It's a very good discussion at a time when we're suffering from a power crisis,” he said.

He said the trade show also showed that energy saving products are within reach for Saipan residents.

Tenorio, who authored a recently enacted law requiring government-funded housing projects to be renewable energy-friendly, said that the proposed green code for CNMI buildings is something to consider.

“Those are probably areas that we need to look at and our architects can look at when designing buildings,” said the lawmaker.

Conference speaker David Schaller, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional coordinator for sustainable development and climate change, recommended an aggressive green building code and energy-efficient design in the CNMI.

Commonwealth Development Authority acting executive director Oscar Camacho said he attended this week's conference “to learn how to save.”

“This kind of discussion is very good. You get to learn how to save money,” he said.

Overall, speakers at the conference suggested that people make a conscious effort to cut their power use, fix building leaks, use energy-saving products, and invest in renewable power.

Schaller said that, by being efficient, people could save 20 to 50 percent in energy consumption right now.

Schaller made the top 10 recommendations for the CNMI: full cost recovery, Commonwealth Utilities Corp. infrastructure upgrade; plugging the leaks; comprehensive energy and water audit program; seeking performance contracting services for efficiency with renewable investment; setting goals for renewable energy; aggressive green building code and energy-efficient design; solar hot water systems in all houses; tax and regulatory incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency; bio-diesel production for transportation fuel; and marketing CNMI renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to national and global carbon offset funds.

Darren Kimura, president of Energy Industries Holdings, Inc. said that changing a light bulb can save a person $50 a year; removing plug loads, $25 a year; reducing shower time by 5 minutes, $60 a year; and setting air-conditioning units back 2 degrees at night, $200 a year.

“The best form of conservation is 'don't use it,'” he said.

Casey Conner, president of Conner Inc., a consulting firm that conducts energy use audit, said people can save a lot by simply “reducing the energy you don't use.”

He said it is also important that companies or offices hire an expert to conduct a study “to understand your needs, potential savings.”